Sam Brusco, Associate Editor10.11.17
Diabetes is very treatable, but managing it often feels like a full-time job. So many factors affect blood glucose levels that it can seem impossible to track them all. Strict diet and exercise regimens are key to keeping glycemic levels in check, in addition to regular insulin doses for some patients. Some patients have to test their blood glucose multiple times daily. But without a regimen in place, patients are at risk for a whole host of comorbidities. So how do diabetic patients contend with all this?
Livongo Health, which offers a blood glucose monitor with a companion service designed to coach diabetic patients, is one tool that provides guidance. The company’s cellular-connected monitor takes blood sugar readings and transmits the information to its health monitoring services. If the reading is outside of normal range, that person is flagged and recommended to drink some fruit juice or take a walk to bring blood glucose back to normal levels. If too far from the normal range, it alerts a specialist.
Issuing patients “reminders” about managing their disease and alerting a specialist when necessary are just a few of the benefits of using a mobile health (mHealth) tool to proactively manage a chronic illness. mHealth technologies can also save healthcare costs by preventing an unnecessary trip to the emergency room by detecting an inconsistency early. They could also replace a lengthy clinic visit to adjust a treatment, because mHealth platforms typically collect—and sometimes analyze—patient data to determine if a treatment is working.
MPO’s October feature story “I’ll Take My Healthcare ‘To Go,’ Please” explored the trends and technological advances driving the mobile health market as well as some of the latest mHealth platforms available to patients. Eric Van der Hulst, innovation manager of health at imec, an R&D and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, was among the industry experts interviewed for the article. His complete input is included in the Q&A below.
Sam Brusco: What trends are you noticing in mobile health (mHealth) management?
Eric Van der Hulst: The use of mobile health technologies is to a large extent linked to the use of bundled payment for cooperative treatments and outcome measurements (pay for performance). It is very difficult to use mobile health in an “act-based” healthcare system.
Brusco: In what ways does the use of a mobile digital health tool ease the burden on patients managing their illness? How does it ease the burden on healthcare professionals/caregivers?
Van der Hulst: The use of digital health tools can greatly help the patient in keeping track of health condition and evolution, but it should be used in combination with a human care provider. The advantage lies in the timing of the measurements and feedback moments, which are no longer fixed and physical in nature, but continuous.
Brusco: Which illnesses in particular are made less burdensome to manage using an mHealth tool, and in what ways does the tool lessen that burden?
Van der Hulst: There are many examples in cardiology, diabetes, COPD, and IBD. In particular, psychological illnesses could benefit largely because of the inherent capabilities of measurements, self-management, communication, motivation, and follow-up. These elements are not necessarily expensive or technologically complex.
Brusco: What innovative technologies are making mobile health solutions possible?
Van der Hulst: The principle of ICT (information communication technology)/internet anywhere, anytime, any device opens a new range of service offerings. Accessibility, connectivity, security, and strong authentication open the gates to telecare, where care providers and patients can be anywhere in the world. This includes a new form of competition (on quality, reputation, and price) in new markets. Semantic data models on health, artificial intelligence, and population healthcare will lead to algorithms that improve all the time, and may one day become personalized for the patient.
Brusco: What are some of the software advances fueling innovative mHealth technologies?
Van der Hulst: Cloud computing, strong authentication and encryption, broad bandwidth + connectivity (RFID, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi), and miniaturized medical grade sensors for measuring vitals and behavior are advancing mobile health platforms. So it the smartphone being able to combine many functions. Fundamental research on large data streams is also advancing the technology (i.e., DNA, medical imaging, pathology, etc.).
Brusco: What’s the future of mHealth tools?
Van der Hulst: The difficulty of introducing future mHealth tools lies in the digital literacy—particularly in usability and training. Other challenges to future mHealth tool establishment include implementation and adoption (resistance and change management), trust (security, privacy), and foremost, financial organization of the health system.
Livongo Health, which offers a blood glucose monitor with a companion service designed to coach diabetic patients, is one tool that provides guidance. The company’s cellular-connected monitor takes blood sugar readings and transmits the information to its health monitoring services. If the reading is outside of normal range, that person is flagged and recommended to drink some fruit juice or take a walk to bring blood glucose back to normal levels. If too far from the normal range, it alerts a specialist.
Issuing patients “reminders” about managing their disease and alerting a specialist when necessary are just a few of the benefits of using a mobile health (mHealth) tool to proactively manage a chronic illness. mHealth technologies can also save healthcare costs by preventing an unnecessary trip to the emergency room by detecting an inconsistency early. They could also replace a lengthy clinic visit to adjust a treatment, because mHealth platforms typically collect—and sometimes analyze—patient data to determine if a treatment is working.
MPO’s October feature story “I’ll Take My Healthcare ‘To Go,’ Please” explored the trends and technological advances driving the mobile health market as well as some of the latest mHealth platforms available to patients. Eric Van der Hulst, innovation manager of health at imec, an R&D and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, was among the industry experts interviewed for the article. His complete input is included in the Q&A below.
Sam Brusco: What trends are you noticing in mobile health (mHealth) management?
Eric Van der Hulst: The use of mobile health technologies is to a large extent linked to the use of bundled payment for cooperative treatments and outcome measurements (pay for performance). It is very difficult to use mobile health in an “act-based” healthcare system.
Brusco: In what ways does the use of a mobile digital health tool ease the burden on patients managing their illness? How does it ease the burden on healthcare professionals/caregivers?
Van der Hulst: The use of digital health tools can greatly help the patient in keeping track of health condition and evolution, but it should be used in combination with a human care provider. The advantage lies in the timing of the measurements and feedback moments, which are no longer fixed and physical in nature, but continuous.
Brusco: Which illnesses in particular are made less burdensome to manage using an mHealth tool, and in what ways does the tool lessen that burden?
Van der Hulst: There are many examples in cardiology, diabetes, COPD, and IBD. In particular, psychological illnesses could benefit largely because of the inherent capabilities of measurements, self-management, communication, motivation, and follow-up. These elements are not necessarily expensive or technologically complex.
Brusco: What innovative technologies are making mobile health solutions possible?
Van der Hulst: The principle of ICT (information communication technology)/internet anywhere, anytime, any device opens a new range of service offerings. Accessibility, connectivity, security, and strong authentication open the gates to telecare, where care providers and patients can be anywhere in the world. This includes a new form of competition (on quality, reputation, and price) in new markets. Semantic data models on health, artificial intelligence, and population healthcare will lead to algorithms that improve all the time, and may one day become personalized for the patient.
Brusco: What are some of the software advances fueling innovative mHealth technologies?
Van der Hulst: Cloud computing, strong authentication and encryption, broad bandwidth + connectivity (RFID, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi), and miniaturized medical grade sensors for measuring vitals and behavior are advancing mobile health platforms. So it the smartphone being able to combine many functions. Fundamental research on large data streams is also advancing the technology (i.e., DNA, medical imaging, pathology, etc.).
Brusco: What’s the future of mHealth tools?
Van der Hulst: The difficulty of introducing future mHealth tools lies in the digital literacy—particularly in usability and training. Other challenges to future mHealth tool establishment include implementation and adoption (resistance and change management), trust (security, privacy), and foremost, financial organization of the health system.